Fans take selfies during the Broncos game against the New England Patriots at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, CO on November 29, 2015. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

UPDATED 1/26/2016 with Verizon data stats from the Jan. 17 home game against the Steelers.

It was a big day for wireless data at Sunday’s Broncos game, and not just because network issues stymied the Patriots use of their Microsoft Surface tablets.

Verizon Wireless said its customers inside the Sports Authority Field at Mile High used nearly 3 terabytes of data on Sunday.

Of that, 1.17 terabytes was on company’s LTE mobile network, while another 1.7 TB was offloaded to the stadium’s Wi-Fi network.

Verizon is the only company of the four major carriers to use the stadium’s Wi-Fi network. That may be a big reason why the company was rated the best of the worst in a recent study of NFL stadiums by RootMetrics, a company that tests mobile service quality nationwide. Mile High stadium ranked in the bottom third of the NFL’s 31 stadiums. Read more…

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All data plans are shareable, so a family with up to 10 devices (Verizon’s limit) could buy service for 10 smartphones and the 12 GB plan. Total monthly bill: $280 a month, excluding taxes, fees and any monthly payment plan for the phones. Read more…

A group of local non-profits are meeting today at noon to figure out how to coordinate efforts and resources in response to the recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal over the weekend. The public is invited to attend (information is HERE). More on the effort later.

In the meantime, I’m hearing from various companies that are attempting to help people in the U.S. reach out to loved ones in the devastated region. (Several big tech companies are matching donations too!):

Western Union — The Englewood money-transfer company is also waiving fees at its agent locations through May 14 for those who need to transfer money to people in Nepal. For consumers who go online or use their phone to transfer money, Western Union will have no-fee transactions to Nepal through May 31. Online consumers will need to use the promotion code NEPALRELIEF2015. Details HERE.

Verizon — Waiving charges for residential wired and post-paid wireless long-distance calls and text messages from the U.S. to Nepalese numbers through May 31. (If fees were charged, credits will be issued in a future bill statement.) Wireless users can also text a $10 donation to World Vision (text “NEPAL” to 777444) or The Red Cross (text “REDCROSS” to 90999). Details HERE.

Sprint — Waiving and crediting calls and text messages made by Sprint customers to Nepal – between April 25 to May 16, 2015. This applies to all postpaid and prepaid customers of Sprint, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA. No-fee text messaging through may 16 to give $10 to Red Cross (text “REDCROSS” to “90999”), the UN World Food Program (text “WFP” to “50555”), Save the Children (ext “NEPAL” to “20222”), UNICEF (text “NEPAL” to “864233”) and the UN World Food Program USA (text “AID” to “27722”). Details HERE.

T-Mobile — Waiving fees for data usage in Nepal through May 16. For those in the U.S., T-Mobile is waiving or crediting fees for calls and texts to and from Nepal between April 25 to May 16. This is effective to all customers of T-Mobile, MetroPCS, GoSmart Mobile and Walmart Family Mobile with international calling. Also doing the $10 donations to Save the Children (Text NEPAL to 20222), UNICEF (text NEPAL to 864233) or World Vision (text NEPAL to 777444). Details HERE.

AT&T: Offering no-fee text messages or International long distance from U.S. to Nepal between April 25 to May 16. This offer applies to AT&T postpaid and GoPhone prepaid customers, plus calls made from AT&T wireline or U-verse customers. AT&T is also offering no-fee $10 text donations to several non profits. The complete list is HERE.

Ello — Local social-network site rallied its users to share photos and words about Nepal and encouraged them to donate to Unicef.

Here is where RootMetrics made those 25,000 calls. Check out your neighborhood by clicking on map (links to RootMetrics map, which is based on your location).

After driving 1,107 miles all over the metro Denver area and making 25,602 mobile phone calls, RootMetrics has announced a first-half 2015 winner: Verizon Wireless.

That’s not surprising, considering that Verizon has won or shared first place during eight of the last rounds of testing. More interesting is what happened with the other carriers: Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T.

Sprint placed second in “Overall Performance,” with a score of 94.9 out of 100. A year ago, Sprint came in at the bottom, scoring 81.2. And back in 2012, Sprint scored a woeful 44.5. Verizon, by comparison, scored 96.8 during the same period.

With all four major wireless carriers scoring above 90, how bad can fourth place be? Well, says RootMetrics, if your call drops, that’s the difference.

“This improvement is the result of a multi-year network overhaul along with a continued focus on building and optimizing the network. We did what we termed a rip and replace – removing old hardware and software and replacing it with new technology. The RootMetrics results validate that our investment is paying off for our customers in Denver and along the Front Range,” said local Sprint spokesman Dave Mellin. Read more…

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Verizon’s Powerful Answers Award has $6 million up for grabs for people with ideas in transportation, emergency response and Internet of Things.

Contest alert! This one is from Verizon, which is looking for a few good people with better ideas on the Internet of Things, as well as transportation and emergency response. Up for grabs is $6 million cash, which is split evenly between the three categories.

The Verizon 2015 Powerful Answers Award is looking for a few very good ideas (judges will make the call). On its submission form, you have 450 words to explain what’s so great about your idea. You don’t even need a prototype! Here’s what you’ll need to prepare:

150 words to summarize the problem and how you intend to solve it

150 words on how it will use mobile technology, especially Verizon technology (though this isn’t required)

150 words to describe the market potential and who is going to use it.

But really, $1 million awarded for an idea?

“Theoretically, one could have just an idea at the time of submission, but have the right team and road map to get to a beta product within a year,” Meagan Dorsch, a Verizon spokesperson, explained to me. “Alternatively, if it takes longer from an R&D perspective, then they need to be really close to having a product in at least an alpha stage around the time of submission, with a road map to reach a beta product within a year. They don’t need a patent.”

The $6 million in cash breaks down evenly between the three categories: $1 million to each top winner, $500,000 for second place and $250,000 for two third-place recipients in each category. Winners will also get a chance to take part in Verizon’s BootUp Academy accelerator to help develop the idea into reality.

Verizon Wireless took the top spot in an semi-annual test of wireless service by RootMetrics, a research firm that conducts real-world tests of mobile phone service.

But Verizon got the top honor just barely. According to the score, Verizon came in with a performance score of 96.6, compared to T-Mobile’s 96.1. With the scores so close, RootMetrics called it a tie.

“We’re seeing strong scores for network reliability across all four carriers in Denver,” Bill Moore, RootMetrics CEO, said in a statement. “With Verizon and T-Mobile neck-and-neck for distinction as most reliable network in the area, and AT &T and Sprint close behind, the competition is tight and that’s great news for mobile consumers.”

The company tests locations twice a year, using smartphones purchased off-the-shelf — just like consumers. For the study, the company performed 25,492 data, call and text tests in the Denver area. The score tallied up results in those three service areas to come up with its rankings (the higher the score, the better the consumer experience):

If you are so lucky to have a ticket to today’s Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers game, think about those who are less fortunate.

And an easy way to help is to bring all your old mobile phones lying around the house.

The Broncos have teamed up with Verizon Wireless HopeLine to help support survivors of domestic violence. Donated phones that still work will be refurbished and sold for reuse. Those that don’t will be disposed of in an environmentally safe way. Proceeds will be donated to local shelters and non-profit organizations that focus domestic violence prevention and awareness.

From left, Carrie McFarland and Lindsey Unhock look at their phone after taking a picture of themselves at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Dec. 11, 2011. (Daniel Petty, Denver Post file)

CenturyLink and the Denver Broncos announced Thursday a sponsorship deal that should significantly improve Internet connectivity and speeds for certain fans at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on game days.

The three-year contract, which starts with the upcoming season, calls for the telecommunications giant to install a new, 1 gigabit per second Internet circuit at Mile High stadium.

The network will have a capacity of 10 Gbps, or more than five times the stadium’s current bandwidth, according to CenturyLink. That means fans who connect to the Broncos Wi-Fi network should have fewer problems uploading photos to Facebook, watching video highlights and performing other bandwidth-eating activities on their smartphones.

Verizon is lighting up XLTE in Colorado and across the country. (File photo)

Verizon Wireless announced Monday that it is launching faster mobile broadband technology in five Colorado cities and other markets nationwide.

Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley and Pueblo will have access to Verizon’s so-called XLTE network – which the carrier promises will deliver “faster peak data speeds and a minimum of double the bandwidth to 4G LTE customers in high traffic areas.” A Verizon spokeswoman said Durango will also receive XLTE. Read more…

Tamara Chuang covers personal technology and local tech news for The Denver Post. She previously spent 10 years doing the same thing for The Orange County Register before taking a hiatus to move here and become a SAHM to a precocious toddler.